Method and apparatus for sewing darts

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a template to be temporarily fastened to a piece of yard goods and used as a guide while sewing a dart in accordance with a dress pattern or the like. The invention also contemplates the method of sewing the dart which includes the steps of folding the pattern back along the bisector of the dart imprinted thereon, laying the template atop the goods thus exposed along the fold line of the pattern to form the missing half of the dart, removing the pattern, folding the goods back under the template so that the fold line coincides with the bisector of the dart, and stitching the double thickness of material together using the margin of the template remote from the fold line as a guide.

Unite States Pate E [151 3,694,81

Nielson 1 t. 3, 1972 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEWING DARTS Ruth N. Nielson, 665 Meadowbrook Dr., Boulder, Colo. 80303 Filed: June 11, 1971 Appl. No.: 152,087

Inventor:

US. Cl. ..2/243 R, 33/12, 2/243 B Int. Cl. ..A41d Field of Search.....2/243 B, 243 R, 218, 234, 74;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Primary Examiner-Alfred R. Guest Att0meyAnderson, Spangler & Wymore [5 7] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a template to be temporarily fastened to a piece of yard goods and used as a guide while sewing a dart in accordance with a dress pattern or the like. The invention also contemplates the method of sewing the dart which includes the steps of folding the pattern back along the bisector of the dart imprinted thereon, laying the template atop the goods thus exposed along the fold line of the pattern to form the missing half of the dart, removing the pattern, folding the goods back under the template so that the fold line coincides with the bisector of the dart, and stitching the double thickness of material together using the margin of the template remote from the fold line as a guide.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTl-innm I912 3,694,818

INVENTOR RUTH N. NIELSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEWING DARTS A seamstress making fitted garments is repeatedly called upon to sew darts in the goods at the locations specified in the pattern. The purpose of the darts is, of course, to shape the material so as to conform with the body conformation of the person who will wear the garment. These darts fall into two general types, the first being what will be called a single dart that is generally triangular in shape and the second identified herein as a double dart that has an elongate diamond-shaped configuration. Single darts are most often found adjacent an outside edge of a garment although they occasionally appear at other locations. For instance, single darts would ordinarily be used along the waistline of skirts and slacks to reduce the circumference of the latter in relation to the hips. The same would be true under the bustline and along the sideseams of a blouse. Even mens shirts that are tapered require elongated darts along the side seams beneath the sleeves extending from the armpit to the shirt tail.

Double darts, on the other hand, are most commonly found at the waistline of full length garments where an hourglass-type taper is required. One would also probably find a double dart on the inside seam at the knee of a flared slack. Occasionally, even a sleeve seam might include a double dart depending upon its style.

Now, the size, shape, type and location of the darts is clearly shown on the paper garment pattern and they must, in some fashion, be transferred and reproduced in the yard goods in order to shape the garment so that it will fit the body of the wearer. After the parts of the pattern have been cut out, the first step is to cut the fabric into pieces exactly matching the various parts of the pattern. In so doing, a straight vertical line shown in the form of an arrow on the pattern must be carefully lined up with the grain or weave of the fabric in order to insure that the finished garment will not only look well but also hang and fit properly. Before actually cutting the material to match the segments of the pattern, one may be required to make certain adjustments that are necessary to adapt the pattern to a particular person. In other words, the patterns are generalized as to size and average height measurements within a certain range but adjustments must still be made to accom modate any measurements that fall outside this norm. Some such adjustments must be made at the time the goods are cut to allow extra material in the oversize areas while other adjustments can wait until the various segments are shaped and fitted.

In any event, the next step following cutting of the material is to shape the various parts or segments so as to fit the body of the wearer. This is probably the single most difficult step of all in the making of a garment and one that is highly susceptible to error. Even experienced seamstresses find this step to be most timeconsuming and laborious.

conventionally, this shaping operation is accomplished by sewing so-called darts in certain prescribed locations and these darts comprise nothing more than a gathered or tucked portion in the material that defines an inwardly extending fold adapted to take up unwanted slack in the fabric. In order to transfer the dart from the pattern to the material preparatory to actually sewing it into the goods, any one of several existing procedures can be used, none of which is particularly satisfactory. For instance, some seamstresses stick pins through the pattern and into the goods at selected points along one outside edge of the dart and at the ends of its bisector that define the fold line. Then, by carefully lifting the pattern over the pin heads so as to not disturb them, one can, if they are lucky, have an outline of the darts in the goods which can then serve as a basis for defining both the fold line and the stitch line.

A better way, and probably the one used by most skilled seamstresses is to lift the pattern slightly and slip a piece of carbon paper between it and the goods where the dart is indicated. Then, by running a disk-like wheel along the outline of the dart and the fold-line-defining bisector thereof, the carbon paper beneath the pattern will reproduce the dart on the fabric. One may then remove the pattern and carbon paper, fold the goods as indicated, and stitch along the exposed outline of the dart.

The above-described methods of sewing darts along with the many others that have been tried are, at best, barely satisfactory and all too often result in very poor results that must be ripped out and redone. Certain types of fabrics present more problems than others as they tend to move relative to the pattern during transfer of the dart configuration resulting in one appearing on the goods that fails to register with the one on the pattern. The pattern tears easily if one is not careful while trying to run the wheel or other tool along the dart outline. It is also difficult to exert sufficient pressure to bring about transfer of the image through the medium of the carbon paper without damaging the pattern, especially onto heavy soft fabrics. By and large, the single most significant disadvantage of the prior art dart transfer methods is the inordinant amount of time and trouble they take.

It has now been found in accordance with the teaching of the instant invention that the abovedescribed shortcomings of the known dart-forming procedures can, in large measure, be eliminated through simple, but unobvious expedient of temporarily fastening directly to the yard goods a template representing one-half of the proposed dart to be fashioned therein. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the edge of the template to be located along the folded edge of the material is provided with one or more bendable tabs to be turned under along said fold. To hold the template in place, a suitable non-drying adhesive of the type used on badges and removable labels has been found quite satisfactory.

The method of using the template is, likewise, considerably simpler than the prior art methods in that no attempt is made to transfer the dart-defining indicia from the pattern to the goods. Instead, the pattern is merely folded back along the fold line of the dart and the template is temporarily fastened to the goods in side-by-side abutting relation to the folded edge thus produced. Then the pattern is removed preparatory to folding the goods under the template so that the folded edge thereof is aligned with the edge of the latter that lay along the folded edge of the pattern. Finally, with the template thus located, it is only necessary to run a stitch through the double-layer of fabric using the edge of the template remote from the folded edge as a guide.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved template for use in sewing darts in yard goods.

much faster, more efficient and accurate than the prior art procedures.

An additional object of the invention forming the subject matter hereof is to provide a tool for seamstresses that eliminates the necessity for transferring any portion of the dart from the pattern to the goods.

Further objects are to provide a dart-defining template that is simple, easy to use, inexpensive, versatile, rugged, accurate, lightweight, safe and readily adapted to various types and styles of garment patterns.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out specifically hereinafter in connection with the description of the drawings that follows, and in which;

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the dart-carrying portion of the pattern laid atop the fabric panel in which the dart is to be sewn;

, FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view similar to FIG. 1 except that the pattern has been folded back along the fold line of the dart;

FIG. 3 is similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the next step in the sequence, namely, the placement of the template atop the goods adjacent the folded edge of the pattern;

FIG. 4 is, once again, similar to the first three Figures of the drawing except that is shows the pattern removed, the goods folded under the template and the dart stitched along the edge of the latter remote from said fold;

FIG. 5 is the last Figure in the sequence and reveals the fabric panel unfolded with the finished dart in place thereon;

' FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section to an enlarged scale taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the template to the same scale as FIGS 1-5 showing the paper backing peeled off a corner to expose the adhesive; and,

FIG. 8 is an edge view of the template of FIG. 7.

Referring next to the drawings for a detailed description of the present invention and, initially, to FIGS 1-5,

inclusive, for this purpose, reference numeral 10 has been chosen to represent a fabric panel that has been cut out to match a similar panel 12 cut from a garment pattern. Only that portion of the pattern panel 12 carrying idicia (14a, 14b and 16) defining a dart generally referred to by numeral 18 has been illustrated. Dart 18 is of the single generally triangular type that might appear, for example, at the waistline of a skirt and serve the purpose of reducing the circumference of this area of the garment relative to the hipline and hemline. While other types, shapes and sizes of darts are commonly used by a seamstress in making a garment, no useful purpose would be served by describing each in detail because dart 18 is fully representative of all such darts insofar as the present invention relates thereto. In other words, once the shape and size of the dart is known or can be ascertained from the pattern, any seamstress of ordinary skill could, without the exercise of invention, make a proper template in accordance with the teaching found herein, such template having been designated in a general way by reference numeral 20. Furthermore, the novel method of using such a template that also forms the subject matter of the instant invention is readily adapted without invention to any template produced in accordance herewith regardless of size, shape, type or placement.

Now, in dart 18, lines 14a and 14b that diverge from a common vertex 22 at an acute angle to one another define the stitch lines which, when placed one atop the other in registered relation, will show where the stitching goes. These lines 14a and 14b are shown as being straight although they frequently have a slight curvature thereto making the triangle depicted thereby somewhat more like celestial triangle used in navigation than the familiar one used in plane geometry and trigonometry. Also, lines 14a and 14b often appear as broken lines in a garment pattern, the latter having been adopted by the pattern makers to indicate where stitching is to go. Here again, whether lines 14a and 14b are curved or straight makes no difference as the template 20 will be shaped accordingly and the stitching will follow the template.

Line 16 of the dart 18 is straight and it bisects the acute angle defined by stitch lines and 14b. The function of line 16 is to define the fold line of the dart which, obviously, will place the stitch lines 14a and 14b in superimposed relation one atop the other.

The side 26 of the dart opposite the apex 22 is often not a straight line, but rather, defines an obtuse angle. The reason for this is most evident in FIG. 5 where it will be seen that having stitched the two thicknesses of material together as indicated at 28 and folded the finished dart 30 over so that it lies flat against the inside of the garment, the remaining free edge 32 of the dart will lie in superimposed parallel relation to the corresponding free edge 34 of the goods. While this is not absolutely necessary, it does provide a neater, more finished-looking garment and is, therefore, included in most patterns.

Now, having aligned the pattern and fabric panels as shown in FIG. 1, the next step is to fold the pattern back over on itself along fold line 16 as shown in FIG. 2 thus exposing the goods 10. In the third step shown in FIG. 3, the template 20 is laid alongside the folded edge 16 of the pattern in a position such that it will complete and replace the missing half of the dart 18 on the pattern that was lost when the latter was folded.

Before completing the description of the method of using template 20 to form dart 30 in panel 10, it would be wise to divert the attention briefly to FIGS. 7 and 8 where the shape and construction of said template are most clearly revealed. As previously mentioned, the basic shape of the template is that which corresponds to one of the bisected halves of the desired dart which, in most instances, will appear on the pattern 12 although, conceivably, the template could be used directly on the goods without the benefit of a pattern. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the template is provided with one or more integrally formed bendable tabs 36 along the edge 38 thereof that corresponds to and lies adjacent the fold line 16 of the pattern dart 18. For purposes of the instant description edge 38 of the template will be referred to as its folddefining edge which, in actuality, comes close to being the hypotenuse of a right triangle for the particular dart configuration illustrated. Consistent with the foregoing, the adjacent edge 40 of the template that intersects the fold-defining edge at the vertex 42 of the acute angle formed thereby will henceforth be referred to as the stitch-defining edge The shape of the third edge 44 is really insignificant as it has no functional importance to the formation of a single dart as it lies adjacent the edge of the panel. In the case of a diamond-shaped double dart, edge 44 functions as a stitch guide in the same way as stitch-defining edge 40.

Template can be made from any one of a number of materials having sufficient stiffness to guide the needle of a sewing machine without deflecting while, at the same time, being bendable, at least in the area of the tabs. For this purpose, light gauge metal is satisfactory although, preferably, cardboard which is much less expensive. In any event, regardless of whether the template is made of metal or cardboard, the bottom face thereof should be coated with an adhesive 46, preferably of the non-drying type used on badges and labels. The adhesive 46 is shown extending out onto the tabs 36 in FIG. 7 so that they will stick to the bottom layer 48 of the fabric panel after it is folded under as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, however, it is not absolutely essential that these tabs be adhesive-backed.

In the manner of most non-drying adhesives, it is essential that they be protected with some sort of removable backing 50 which is peeled off and discarded immediately prior to use. In the present instance, backing 50 can either take the conventional fonn of a removable paper layer to be discarded as aforementioned or, alternatively, the pattern 12 itself can provide the backing. In other words, the template can be adhesively attached directly to the pattern 12 and peeled off just prior to its being used thus eliminating the need for a separate backing 50. The templates could all be located on an unused portion of the pattern and then matched up with a particular dart appearing thereon by suitable matching indicia or, alternatively,

they could be placed on the pattern in position covering half of the particular dart they match. The choice of whether to affix the templates directly to the pattern or to package them separately will, undoubtedly, be decided on the basis of economic considerations which form no part of the present invention.

Referring again to the sequence of FIGS. 1-5 that shows the method of using the template to sew a dart 30, in FIG. 3 it was noted that the fold-defining edge 38 of the template was placed alongside the corresponding edge 16 of the pattern dart so that the template completed the missing half of the latter. When this step is carried out, the protective layer 50 would have been already removed from the template so that the adhesive side 46 thereof could be stuck directly to the inside face of the fabric panel with the tabs 36 projecting out over the folded edge of the pattern as shown. Once the template is thus placed and adhesively attached to the fabric, the pattern 12 can be slipped carefully out from under the tabs 36 and removed altogether.

The next step in the operation is that shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to which reference will now be made. Following removal of the pattern 12, the fabric panel 10 is folded under along fold-defining edge 38 of the template to produce fold 52 (FIG. 6); whereupon, the tabs 36 are bent around and under this fold as shown. These tabs, of course, serve the important function of keeping fold 52 in the fabric precisely aligned with the folddefining edge 38 of the template because, if these margins become misaligned, the dart 30 will not conform exactly with the pattern dart 18. Having arranged the template and fabric as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, it is only necessary to run stitch 28 along the stitch-defining edge 40 to complete the dart 30. This can be done either by hand or machine whichever one prefers.

The final step in the operation is the one shown in FIG. 5, namely, the removal of the template from the goods and the unfolding of the panel preparatory to flopping the dart over along its stitch line 28 in the manner of turning a page in a book to place the edge 32 thereof in registry with panel edge 34. The dart will probably be pressed to hold it in this position although it could be tacked in place also with a few stitches.

What is claimed is:

1. The template for use in sewing a dart along the folded edge of a fabric panel which comprises: a flat piece of bendable material having sufficient rigidity to guide a sewing machine needle shaped to define at least two marginal edges intersecting one another at an acute angle corresponding to approximately one-half the acute angle at the apex of the dart, one of said marginal edges locating the fold line in the fabric that bisects the dart while the other defines the stitch line to be followed in stitching the double-thickness of fabric together, and at least one integrally formed marginal tab depending from said fold-locating edge, said tab being bendable around the folded edge of the fabric and onto the underside thereof to maintain the relative positions of the template and double-thickness panel while the latter is being sewn.

2. The template as set forth in claim 1 in which: the material from which the template is formed is coated on one side by an adhesive capable of detachably fastening same to the fabric panel.

3. The template as set forth in claim 2 in which: the adhesive is of the non-drying type.

4. The template as set forth in claim 3 in which: the non-drying adhesive is protected by a removable covering.

5. The template as set forth in claim 4 in which: the removable covering comprises a layer of paper.

6. The template as set forth in claim 1 in which: the fold-locating marginal edge includes at least two tabs arranged in spaced relation to one another.

7. The method of sewing a dart in a fabric panel to conform with the dart-defining indicia on a garment pattern which comprises: laying the pattern atop the fabric panel, folding the pattern back along the bisector of the dart to expose the fabric panel therebeneath, substituting a template representing the folded half of the pattern dart for the latter in the location formerly occupied thereby, removing the pattern, folding the fabric panel under itself to produce a folded edge aligned with the edge of the template representing the bisector of the dart, stitching the two thicknesses of fabric together using an edge of the template remote from fold as a guide, removing the template, and unfolding the panel.

8. The method as set fort h in claim 7 which includes the step of: detachably sticking the template to the fabric.

9. The method as set forth in claim 7 which includes the step of: crimping bendable tabs carried by the template onto the folded edge of the fabric panel.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTEON Patent No. 3,694,818 Dated October 3, 1972 Inventor(s) uth N Nielsen It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The inventors last name should read as follows:

- Nielsen Signed and sealed this 13th day of March 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 2 M PO-1050 (IO-69) USCOMM-DC 6O376-I'6'J 1* us. GOVERNMENT v-nmnno OFFICE: 1959 o-uu-au 

1. The template for use in sewing a dart along the folded edge of a fabric panel which comprises: a flat piece of bendable material having sufficient rigidity to guide a sewing machine needle shaped to define at least two marginal edges intersecting one another at an acute angle corresponding to approximately onehalf the acute angle at the apex of the dart, one of said marginal edges locating the Fold line in the fabric that bisects the dart while the other defines the stitch line to be followed in stitching the double-thickness of fabric together, and at least one integrally formed marginal tab depending from said fold-locating edge, said tab being bendable around the folded edge of the fabric and onto the underside thereof to maintain the relative positions of the template and double-thickness panel while the latter is being sewn.
 2. The template as set forth in claim 1 in which: the material from which the template is formed is coated on one side by an adhesive capable of detachably fastening same to the fabric panel.
 3. The template as set forth in claim 2 in which: the adhesive is of the non-drying type.
 4. The template as set forth in claim 3 in which: the non-drying adhesive is protected by a removable covering.
 5. The template as set forth in claim 4 in which: the removable covering comprises a layer of paper.
 6. The template as set forth in claim 1 in which: the fold-locating marginal edge includes at least two tabs arranged in spaced relation to one another.
 7. The method of sewing a dart in a fabric panel to conform with the dart-defining indicia on a garment pattern which comprises: laying the pattern atop the fabric panel, folding the pattern back along the bisector of the dart to expose the fabric panel therebeneath, substituting a template representing the folded half of the pattern dart for the latter in the location formerly occupied thereby, removing the pattern, folding the fabric panel under itself to produce a folded edge aligned with the edge of the template representing the bisector of the dart, stitching the two thicknesses of fabric together using an edge of the template remote from fold as a guide, removing the template, and unfolding the panel.
 8. The method as set forth in claim 7 which includes the step of: detachably sticking the template to the fabric.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 7 which includes the step of: crimping bendable tabs carried by the template onto the folded edge of the fabric panel.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 7 which includes the step of detachably securing the template to the fabric by both sticking same to the exposed face thereof and crimping bendable tabs around its folded edge. 